What Madrid costs
In Madrid the room makes the bill, not the museum: one hotel night costs more than the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the palace together.
- Sleeping
- bed €13–22
- Lunch
- menú del día €11–18, on weekdays
- Tickets
- Prado €15, palace €18
Most of what Madrid costs you is decided before you land, by the room you book. A hostel bed is €13–22 and a hotel in Malasaña €120–200 a night, which is more than the tickets for the Prado (€15), the Reina Sofía (€12) and the Royal Palace (€18) together. The rest moves in small steps: a filling three-course lunch is €11–18, and the Prado is free for its last two hours.
The table is the bill for one person, in euros, at the regular adult price. The room is the price of the room per night, not per person, so for two it is half each.
Price in euros, adults — ≈
Where the bill breaks
On the room, and on the district you pick. A four-star hotel runs €160–280 in pricey Sol, and a hotel in Lavapiés €60–130, so the choice of district changes your bill more than any ticket. The second big item is dinner: the menú del día is a lunch, and in the evening you eat à la carte, because kitchens open around nine.
Two hours free
The Prado is free for its last two hours, Monday to Saturday from 6 to 8pm and on Sunday from 5 to 7pm, so you pay the regular €15 only if you want the whole day. Two hours is right for Velázquez, Goya and Bosch. The Royal Palace costs €18, and its free hours are for EU citizens, not for a Serbian passport.
Official ticket
- Regular entry
- €15
- Free
- Mon–Sat 6–8pm, Sun 5–7pm
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
The menú del día gives you three courses, bread and a drink for €11–18, but only on weekdays, from two to four. For the street there is the bocadillo de calamares near Plaza Mayor at €4–4.50. If you eat both lunch and dinner à la carte, you pay the full price twice.
The centre is walked
The centre is walked, so transport comes down to the run from the airport and the odd line, and ten rides on a Multi card are €12.50, while the airport taxi is a fixed €33 (fixed) for the whole car. The tourist ticket pays you back only if you ride all day.
Where you save
- A bed, not a room. A hostel in Sol or around Gran Vía is €13–22, which leaves you the money for dinner.
- Lunch, not dinner. Move your main meal to the cheap menú del día, and take light tapas or a bocadillo in the evening.
- The Prado in the evening. You skip the €15 entry by arriving at 6pm, or at 5pm on Sunday.
- Walk. Between the palace, Sol and the museums the metro saves you no time and costs a ride, so keep it for the longer distances.
Buy the plan before you go and switch it on when you land.
The same comparison for 156 places: hostel, hotel, getting into town and a day pass. Travel costs →
Where to next
Madrid off the tourist circuit: Goya's tomb, a ghost station and a weekend-only park
→Goya's grave beneath his own dome, a metro station closed in 1966 and a park open only at weekends — with the address and the day.
Cuenca · 139 km
→Houses hanging over a gorge, an hour by train from Madrid
How well does Madrid suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Madrid
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How much does a week in Madrid cost?
Mostly the room: a hostel bed is €13–22 and a hotel in Malasaña €120–200 a night. Lunch is €11–18, the Prado €15, and free for its last two hours.
Does Madrid charge a tourist tax?
No, the city and the regional government ruled it out in 2024, so nothing extra is added to the room.
How do you save on food in Madrid?
Eat the main meal as a menú del día, €11–18 on weekdays from two to four, and take tapas or a bocadillo in the evening.
Ready for Madrid?
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